The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-06
THE POWERS AND DUTIES
OF SOCIETY. THE LIQUOR
TRAFFIC SHOWN UP IN
ALL IT'S BEARINGS.
The CIearest and Strongest Ex-
hibit yet Given.
Plea for Prohibition.

GENTLEMEN: Ours is 20 govern.
ment of the people, by the people,
for the people :" and it belongs to
the very nature of society to re-
stricl o. prohibit what she deems
to be detrimental to her interests.
Accordingly she prohibits murder
and theft, not because these are
moral evils, or evils IN themselves,
but because their effects are dele
terious to her best interests. She
prohibits other things, right in
themselves, but, in certain insten-
ces and at certain places detrimen-
tai to the best in erests of the peo-
pie; the removal Of a slaughter
house from densely settled part
of city, and forbidding to build
wooden houses within certain linn
its,are instances of this latter class.
But if society has the right to
prohibit these latter, surely she
has the right TO prohibit the liquor
traffic which is the source of
more evil to society than war
famine and pestilence combined.
Society enters.the following indict-
ments against alcohol:
l. THE FINANCIAL LOSSES.
/. That the traffic in Intoxicating
liquors involves an annual waste
of more than $30,000,000 worth of
grain-the destrution of which by
fire would be a loss a thousand fold
less than TO have it made into pois-
on and disseminated throughout
society to blight and curse human
lty.
2. Another ground Of complaint
Is to be seen in the fact that liquor
destroys little less than a billion
dollars ic0rth Of labor annually;
shortening human life to the alarm
ing extent of a million and one han
dred thousand gears annually, by
premature death occasioned by
drinking; by the loss Of a large
portion Of time Of sic hundred
thousand drunkdrdS and tipplers ;
and by the wasted energies of,
perhaps, a kdD million Of able bod
led men who are engaged in max.
ing and distributing alcoholic
drinks.
3. Society further complains
that she has immense millions to
pay, as the result of alcoholic liz.
uors, for the support of vast num-
bers of idiots, hmdticS and papers,
besides footing the bills for the
criminal dockets.
4. She complains further at the
wasteof serea hundred millions Of dol
lars in the purchase of strong
drink; all the foregoing items
amounting, no doubt, TO more
than one billion fUehmdred million
dollars. This may be termed the
lowest argument in the bill OF
complaints, but no one can say
that it is not a large one.
il. THE EVILS INFLICTED UPON
THE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY.
/. It makes from 10000 to So
900 drunkards, annually. A drunk.
ard is a curse and disgrace to so.
ciety; and whenever a man reach.
es this position, society as rule,
is worse off than if he were dead
2. 1t kills outright not less, it is
estimated, than 10000 American
citizens every year! Is this a
small itemi If England were to
kill in cold blood, one American
citizen, our whole country would
rise in arms to avenge the wrong.
But what about this Sirty hous-
dRdP
3. 1t makes, it is claimed, not
less than Oae hundred and thirty
hOasdAd pdupers eUery year! Who
are these paupersi Mostly women
and helpless children First
grieved, then distressed for food
and clothing, then handed over in
disgrace to the public for support !!
There are grievances here to "stir
a fever in the blood of age" and
make all the true lovers of human
fly rise up in their might and de-
throne this heartless monarch
4. Another complaint is that it
makes nearly ten thousand lanatics
annually. These are worse than
lost to society, and to their. friends;